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How to Disable Antivirus and Firewall on Windows and macOS

Learn how to temporarily disable antivirus and firewall on Windows 11 and macOS Sonoma.

Written by Alim Sadat

⚠️ Important: Disabling antivirus or firewall protection exposes your device to potential threats. Only disable these features temporarily and re-enable them once troubleshooting is complete.

Disable Antivirus and Firewall in Windows 11

🔐 Disable Windows Defender Antivirus (Windows Security)

  1. Open Windows Security
    ​     Press Windows key + I to open Settings, then go to:
    ​ Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection
    ​

  2. Click "Manage settings" under Virus & threat protection settings
    ​

  3. Toggle Real-time protection to Off
    ​     Click Yes on the UAC prompt if it appears.
    ​

📝 Note: This will automatically re-enable after a system restart unless a third-party antivirus is installed.

🔥Disable Windows Firewall

  1. Go to: Start > Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection
    ​

  2. Select your active network profile (e.g., Private network).
    ​

  3. Toggle Microsoft Defender Firewall to Off
    ​     Click Yes on the UAC prompt.
    ​

📝 Repeat this for all listed network profiles (Domain, Private, and Public) if needed.

🍎 Disable Antivirus and Firewall in macOS Sonoma (macOS 14)

🛡️ Disable Built-in XProtect (macOS Antivirus)

macOS includes XProtect and Gatekeeper for basic malware protection. These features cannot be fully disabled via standard system preferences, but you can disable Gatekeeper using Terminal:

  1. Open Terminal (Cmd + Space, type Terminal, press Enter)

Run the following command to disable Gatekeeper:

sudo spctl --master-disable

  1. Enter your administrator password when prompted.
    ​

  2. Confirm that "Anywhere" appears in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Security.
    ​

📝 macOS will still silently run background malware scans with XProtect. Disabling it requires root-level system modifications and is not recommended.

🔥 Disable Firewall on macOS

  1. Go to System Settings > Network > Firewall
    ​

  2. Click the Firewall toggle to turn it Off
    ​

  3. Authenticate with Touch ID or your administrator password if prompted.
    ​

✅ Re-enabling Protection

After completing your task, it’s strongly recommended to re-enable all security features:

  • Windows: Toggle Real-time protection and firewall back On
    ​

  • macOS: Run sudo spctl --master-enable in Terminal to re-enable Gatekeeper, and turn the firewall back On
    ​

🔒 Final Tips

  • Always keep your OS and software up-to-date to minimize vulnerabilities.
    ​

  • Use trusted tools if disabling antivirus for installations.

If using third-party antivirus software, refer to the vendor’s documentation for disabling instructions.

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